Forum home Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Something is eating my Potato plants!!

I am new to allotment gardening and have planted my Main crop Maris Piper Potatoes. Last weekend I noticed one plant has been totally stripped, so I went crazy with the slug pellets, on my return I have noticed two more plants have been severely damaged. The slug pellets seem to be untouched, no slime, just one tiny dead slug. 

Can anyone suggest anything else that could be eating them?

Also will my potatoes still grow?

image

 

Posts

  • Stuart RStuart R Posts: 42

    Hi fpacke,

    It's almost certainly a beetle, although I've never heard of potato foliage being eaten in the UK before! The leaves are pretty toxic to most critters..

  • Lupin 1Lupin 1 Posts: 8,916

    To be honest they don't look like spuds to me image  Maybe your spuds are still growing, but I think they will make hard work of getting through those dry clods of earth.

  • I'm almost sure this is slug or snail damage....is there any slime trail evidence?

  • fpackefpacke Posts: 4

    Thanks, I think it is most likely to be Slug/Snail, there just seems to be a lack of slime, and eating of the pellets. I need to go down and check on them again. 

    Will keep you posted. 

    KEF they are definitely spuds, and I know I have a lot of work to do with my London clay soil image

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Try cutting a pop bottle into rings and put copper tape around them. It protects young foliage on vulnerable veg.

Sign In or Register to comment.